"揭開青少年大腦之秘"

科學家正試圖找出為何青少年通常不按牌理出牌。

幾世紀以來青少年的行為總是讓父母感到困擾。當孩子還小，他們通常都開心而無憂無慮，但等他們長成青少年時，就會有轉變，讓他們變得煩躁、情緒化和沉默寡言。英國劍橋大學的科學家目前正在進行一項500萬英鎊（760萬美金）的研究想找出原因。

心理學家早就發現年輕人年紀越大就越不會衝動行事，而劍橋科學家相信這可能是因為大腦發展的方式所造成。當孩子到達青春期，身體會釋放大量賀爾蒙，而研究人員相信這得讓大腦花上好些時間來適應這種生理變化。他們相信14歲到24歲之間的大腦掃描將顯示出大腦外觀的變化，特別是大腦不同部位彼此連結的方式。

其中一位研究人員艾德布爾墨爾教授針對研究應用評論道：「如果我們能夠了解大腦心理和生理上的變化，那麼我們就有機會能設計出支持或加速人們成熟思考的干預措施。」

(Health) Unlocking the Mysteries of the Teenage Brain

Scientists are trying to discover why teenagers often act in unpredictable ways.

The behavior of teenagers has puzzled and troubled parents for centuries. When children are young, theyre often happy and carefree, but something happens when they hit their teenage years that makes them irritable, emotional, and withdrawn. Scientists from the UKs Cambridge University are now conducting a five-million-pound (US$7.6 million) study to find out why.

Psychologists have long observed that young people tend to behave less impulsively as they grow older, and the Cambridge scientists believe its possible this is due to the way in which the brain develops. When a child reaches adolescence, vast quantities of hormones are released in the body and researchers believe that it may take the brain some time to adapt to this biological change. They believe that scans of the brains of 14-24-year-olds will show a change in the appearance of the brain and especially in the way in which different parts of the brain are connected to one another.

One of the researchers, Professor Ed Bullmore, commented on the applications of the research saying: If we can understand both mentally and physically what's changing in the brain then we are in a better position to design interventions that could support or accelerate maturational change in the way people think.

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